In Person Formation

For students who choose to return to campus for in-person instruction, several new protocols and procedures will be put in place to ensure the safety of our students, volunteers, faculty, and staff. These protocols and procedures are clearly outlined in the sections to the left. 

All students and small group leaders will go directly to their assigned small group upon arrival.   They will stay in small group for the entirety of the time on campus. In small group they will watch the video of that night's teaching, pray as a group, and have small group. This will limit the number of people with which they come in contact.

We will have two sessions each night to further reduce the number of students and volunteers on campus on each given night of our programs. Encounter (high school) will meet on Sunday nights while RISE (middle school) will meet on Wednesday nights. Session one runs from 6:45-7:45pm and Session two will run from 7:15-8:15pm.

As we continue to plan for the opening of the 2020-2021 formation year and the re-opening of the campus, the safety and health of our students, volunteers, faculty and staff is our primary concern and focus. Our COVID-19 response policies and procedures are intended to mitigate, not eliminate, risk.  No single action or set of actions will completely eliminate the risk of infection and/or transmission.  We have implemented several coordinated interventions and plans with the intent to greatly reduce the risk.

Hygiene

• The school building (used for small group) has been outfitted with additional hand sanitizing stations.
• Students will receive reminders on proper handwashing techniques; and visual reminders will be posted throughout the campus.

PPE

• Gloves, masks, and/or face shields will be available to students and staff in need.

Social Distancing and Common Space Usage

• The building has additional signage on the floor and around the campus reinforcing social distancing. 
• Student seating will face the same direction and be spaced 6-feet apart.  
• Reduced use of communal spaces on campus.

Visitors and Events

• Visitors will not be allowed on campus.

Cleaning

• The school cleans multiple times each day and at the end of their day.  We will only use each classroom once per evening (including both sessions) and we will clean each room before and after each use.
• We will be using a fogger to clean the hallways and classrooms in between the school day and our sessions.
• The following cleaners will be used in all the rooms on campus:  Diversey Morning Mist 5 RTD Neutral Disinfectant/Cleaner,  Diversey Final Step 5 No-Rinse 512 Sanitizer, BIOESQUE Botanical Disinfectant Solution. 

All procedures indicated in the links to the left were created through the lens of maintaining the health and safety of our CtR family. It was developed in coordination with CtRCS, Fr. Sean and through the direction of the CDC, American Academy of Pediatrics, State and Local Officials, and the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston.

According to the Harris County order, recommendations by the CDC and in consultation with the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston masks/face coverings will be required. 

• All adults on campus will be required to wear a mask/face covering, including volunteers and staff members. 
• Students will be required to wear a mask/face covering.
• All masks/face coverings should cover the nose and mouth and fit securely.
• Masks/face coverings may be any color and have a design as long as they are  appropriate for church.

The Scenario of Positive COVID-19 Case on Campus

Student, parents, volunteers, and staff must notify CtRYM via email at Rachel.smyth@ctrcc.com if any of the following situations occur during the
school year:

• A student, a family member or a person with whom the student has come in close contact has a lab-confirmed diagnosis of COVID-19
• A student has symptoms consistent with a presumptive positive case of COVID-19

Close Contact

Anyone who has had close contact with someone who is lab-confirmed to have
COVID-19 should follow Presumed Positive expectations.

A close contact situation is defined as:

• Being directly exposed to infectious secretions from an individual who is lab-confirmed with COVID-19 (e.g., being coughed on while not wearing a mask or face shield)
• OR being within 6 feet of an individual who is lab-confirmed with COVID-19 for a cumulative duration of 15 minutes, while not wearing a mask or face shield. In the case of asymptomatic individuals who are lab-confirmed with COVID-19, they are presumed infectious at least two days prior to the confirming lab test.

Finally, it is important to note that any student who must quarantine at home for any period of time will join a virtual small group, given that he/she is feeling well enough to do so.  We are committed to help the student transition as smoothly as possible.  

Presumed Positive

If a student exhibits COVID-19 symptoms, they will be presumed positive. Parents will be contacted to arrange for immediate dismissal from Rise or Encounter. Parents must arrange for their students to be tested for COVID-19 or arrange a consultation with a medical professional within a 24-hour period. The student may not return to faith formation until cleared by a medical professional or until receiving a negative COVID-19 result. Test results may be forwarded to Rachel.smyth@ctrcc.com prior to the student returning to campus or students may bring results upon their return to faith formation.

In the case of a positive or presumptive positive COVID-19 case among a household
member of one of our students, the following conditions must be met before returning to campus*:

1. At least 72 hours have passed since recovery (resolution of fever without the use of fever-reducing medications)
2. AND the individual has improvement in symptoms
3. AND at least 10 days have passed since symptoms first appeared

If the individual has symptoms that could be COVID-19 and wants to return to Rise or Encounter before completing the above stay at home period, the individual must
either
       (a) obtain a medical professional’s note clearing the individual for return based on an alternative diagnosis or
       (b) receive two separate confirmations at least 24 hours apart that they are free of COVID via acute infection tests at an approved COVID-19 testing location.
* These guidelines apply to volunteers and staff as well.

Lab-Confirmed Diagnosis

Any student, volunteer, or staff member who is lab-confirmed to have COVID-19
must stay at home throughout the infection period, and cannot return to campus until
CtRYM screens the individual to determine if the below conditions for campus
re-entry have been met:

• At least 72 hours have passed since recovery (resolution of fever without the use of fever-reducing medications)
• AND The individual has improvement in symptoms
• AND At least 10 days have passed since symptoms first appeared

A health official will perform contact tracing to the extent possible following a lab-confirmed case on campus. The small group exposed to the lab-confirmed case may start learning virtually from home until the tracing is complete and we have confirmation that it is safe for the small group to return to Rise/Encounter.  

Please see the documents below for a further explanation of confirmed and presumptive cases, along with what constitutes as "close contact" and finally a helpful self-screening diagram.
Diagram: May I Enter School?
Detailed Chart: COVID-19 Symptoms & Protocols Defined
Source: Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston Catholic Schools Office

Arrival

• There will be multiple points of entry
• Parents will have to drop each child off at the designated small group entrance (siblings can not get out of the car unless that is also their entry point)
• Families will be required to answer health screening questions
• A touchless temperature will be taken for every person entering the building
• All students will be required to wear a mask from their vehicle into the building

Dismissal

• Students will be picked up at the same place they entered the building.
• Parent should follow the same traffic pattern they used when dropping off their student(s)
• If parents have another child at a different entry/exit point they will drive around to the next spot to pick up the next child.
• All students will need to wear a mask when leaving the building.

Arrival/Dismissal Traffic Map to be released

Arrival

• There will be multiple points of entry
• Parents will have to drop each child off at the designated small group entrance (siblings can not get out of the car unless that is also their entry point)
• Families will be required to answer health screening questions
• A touchless temperature will be taken for every person entering the building
• All students will be required to wear a mask from their vehicle into the building

Dismissal

• Students will be picked up at the same place they entered the building.
• Parent should follow the same traffic pattern they used when dropping off their student(s)
• If parents have another child at a different entry/exit point they will drive around to the next spot to pick up the next child.
• All students will need to wear a mask when leaving the building.

Arrival/Dismissal Traffic Map to be released

Q. What will happen if a staff member, volunteer or student on campus tests positive for COVID-19?
A. After conducting an internal investigation, CtRYM staff will reach out to all families of students who may have been in contact with the individual.

Q. What will the procedure for student arrival look like?
A. Students will be assigned a specific campus entrance to keep hallways and stairways clear. They will have to fill out a symptoms evaluation and will be temperature checked before being able to enter the building.

Q. Will there be health screening procedures?
A. Yes, all students must complete a questionairre about their symptoms. This will most likely be done via app (more deails to come).

Q. Will my student have to wear a mask?
A. Yes, all students are required to wear a mask for the entire time they are in the building.

Q. How will social distancing be achieved?
A. The school will have additional signage on the floor and around the campus reinforcing social distancing. In the classroom, student seating will face the same direction and students will sit 6-feet apart.

Q. Will visitors be allowed on campus?
A.  No, just like most normal Rise and Encounter nights, visitors are not allowed into the building.

Q. How will the school be cleaned and disinfected?
A. Rooms will be disinfected daily before our students arrive on campus. Small Group Leaders will be provided with disinfectant and sanitizer and will be asked to disinfect the surfaces of the classroom at the beginning and end of the session. 

Q. Will there be a meal after the 5pm Mass?
A. No, we are not able to safely provide food this year.

Q. Will students be in large group?
A. No, they will stay in small group for the entirity of their session.

Q.  Will my student be in the same small group that they were in last year?
A. If you would like them to continue with their small group, please indicate this on their registration. This will impact which session time they will attend, and they are not able to choose which session time their small group attends.
If staying with their small group is more important than their session time, please indicate this on the Preference Selection form.
If session time is most important, please indicate this on the Preference Selection form, but know that we cannot guarantee they will be with their previous small group.